Testimonials from Social entrepreneurs supported through Manch 2014

“FifthEstate as a platform has brought new hope in the working of genuine NGO’s.”

“For last 10 years we were running our organization with the help of friends and well wishers alone because we had taken it for granted that support from government or corporates is just not possible. March-2014 has shown a ray of hope and we have started moving in the direction where the possibility of doing some good work with the funding from CSR appears to be an achievable goal.”

“The Govt. systems are insular, designed to resist/ oppose any change- however meritorious, and doubtful of integrity of any outsider..Given this, any attempt at substantial change is going to be tough, requiring credibility and ongoing negotiation at various levels, including the top administrative-political executive levels. The FifthEstate is helpful partner in initiating the long change process, particularly because of its credibility with capacity of negotiation at the top level….”

“FifthEstate’s support has done a lot in helping us negotiate acceptance at the top level, without which we might have been rejected. Through their support we will soon be expanding in multiple districts in UP.”

– Pankaj Jain, CEO, Gyan Shala, Ahemdabad

“Medha participated in the 2014 Manch organized by FifthEstate as one of the selected social enterprises. The Manch, and selection process leading up to the Manch, gave us a unique opportunity to showcase our work to senior level bureaucrats in the state, which eventually led to formalizing and expanding our partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Technical Education…”

“While we had multiple discussions with these departments in the past, our participation in the Manch, and direct support from FifthEstate, was instrumental in helping us secure a formal partnership with the state government. Without this support and credibility from FifthEstate, we would have never been able to formalize this relationship with the government as quickly as we did.”

“We would highly recommend any social enterprise that is looking to build stronger relationships and partnerships with the UP State Government to participate in the 2015 Manch!”

– Christopher Turillo, Co-Founder, Medha, Lucknow

“FifthEstate provides a platform to present your idea, project directly in front of top most people in the State government. Collaboration with them is like having a faithful partner in the state.

Manch awarded an opportunity to meet the decision makers in the govt. and present your work, and attain their support. This is the best platform in the UP to present your ideas to the Govt…”

– Bhushan Dhere, Director and CEO , Leaps and Bounds, Pune

“It was great associating with FifthEstate. It gave us a fantastic platform to present our work in front of the all the stakeholders in Uttar Pradesh and more importantly key decision makers…”

“Not only did FifthEstate help us pitch, but they also guided us in timely communicating with the authorities. FifthEstate showed great energy & initiative and worked like an extension of our own company in Uttar Pradesh. It helped us reach out to the right customers and also in securing pilot to demonstrate the technology. Currently we are in the process of implementing the pilot and look forward to working with them further.”

“Entrepreneurs who think Uttar Pradesh to be a potential market should definitely try to be a part of this.”